Around Wollongong

[Danois]

Two questions

1. What is the best option for a dog beach between Sydney and Wollongong? I am looking at Little Austinmer at the moment.

2. What is the tick situation around that area?

Any other dog friendly ideas/ cafes around this area?

Thanks

[LisaJ]

Two questions

1. What is the best option for a dog beach between Sydney and Wollongong? I am looking at Little Austinmer at the moment.

2. What is the tick situation around that area?

Any other dog friendly ideas/ cafes around this area?

Thanks

Q1 Look up Wollongong City Council's website for off leash dog beaches/places, there are arial photos of all the places and you can judge if the proximity to roads etc is what you and your dog is comfortable with. What is your dog's recall like? What if a rabbit is about - Little Austi beach is a rabbit beach, well actually not on the beach itself but in surounding bushes and shrubs.

Q2 Lots of ticks, some kind of tick prevention is strongly recommended. Give one of the local Vets a call and ask how many tick patients they have had in the last week, that will give you an indication.

[dancinbcs]

Don't know what the beaches are like but it is a really bad area for ticks. I will only take my dogs near Wollongong in winter as I am not prepared to risk the ticks.

[newfsie]

Last year we went to Little Austinmer beach for our newfie day (18 newfies)......We had a great day there and the dogs loved it. There were even some rock pools for our then puppy newfie to play in. Our big dogs loved the beach I thought it was fabulous and we had no drama at all.

a day on the beach

[gillybob]

Oilies or the end of South Wollongong beach is great.

You get to it through the Golf Club.

Ive been there heaps of times with my son and his dog.

Ticks are terrible down there.

[Danois]

Q1 Look up Wollongong City Council's website for off leash dog beaches/places, there are arial photos of all the places and you can judge if the proximity to roads etc is what you and your dog is comfortable with. What is your dog's recall like? What if a rabbit is about - Little Austi beach is a rabbit beach, well actually not on the beach itself but in surounding bushes and shrubs.

Q2 Lots of ticks, some kind of tick prevention is strongly recommended. Give one of the local Vets a call and ask how many tick patients they have had in the last week, that will give you an indication.

Thanks - I have looked on the website and know which ones are dog friendly - was really after personal recommendations though.

My dog has excellent recall so not concerned about proximity and he has no idea what a rabbit is but if he's told to leave it alone he will.

[KateM]

I walk my dog at Little Austi nearly every day. Its a great spot for dogs. Ticks are bad down here - I work at the local vets and we had 8 tick paralysis patients in hospital just last week. However, I would say that generally down at the beach you should be safe. There are bushes up the back of the beach and of course there is the possibility of your dog picking one up from there. My dog has had one tick since we moved here 3 years ago and we live right up on the escarpment which is prime for ticks. Lucky? Maybe.

Sharkeys beach is also good for dogs but I prefer Little Austi myself. I am able to walk along the grass at the back with my dog and keep her out of the way of others as she's not the most sociable animal in the world.

As for Cafes, there is a good little cafe called Fireworks on Moore street just back from Austi Beach which has tables outside and is dog friendly.

Edited November 14, 2010 by KateM

[corvus]

Little Austi is one of our favourites as well. We come from southern Sydney, so usually go for the northern beaches. We like Little Austi because it's got some quiet bits our water-wuss dogs can paddle in without getting scared. It is a little close to a major road, though. It makes me a tad nervous despite having good recalls on both dogs. Bellambi beach is much easier to relax on.

[skip]

For a decent lenght of beach to walk on I'd say Bellambi-Corrimal. The surf is good and this is one of the the most popular , the best dog beach I think.

THe beach near the WIN stadium, north beach? that you get to near the golf course.

If you went a bit further Perkins beach is lovely. You have to walk along a track for a while first to the beach.

I have been here 3 years and live on the lake. I didn't realise ticks are suposed to be so bad. Mine have no collar and I don't normally treat with tick prevention unless I go away. Now I am worried. Because one is so small I try to avoid chemical treatments unless I was going to the country for a agility trial where we are warned ticks are bad.

I went to the beach today but took only one dog. I have decided now to take one dog at a time as summer brings out too many people who take unsocialised dogs for a day out. Idiots who don't care if their dog is unsocialised and aggressive.

It's a shame as a nice day at the beach with other social dogs (and people) is really lovely.

Whatever beach you get to I hope you and your dogs enjoy yourselves.

[Clyde]

I walk my dog at Little Austi nearly every day. . Ticks are bad down here - I work at the local vets

Are you at Austinmer Vets Kate? I go there each yr for holidays but last year had a sick dog I had to take to Austi Vet, they were FANTASTIC!